Shades Of Violet
by pikachugirl2
Summary: Paul has commited a crime against his brother, and Dawn agrees to keep him hidden. But with Barry getting suspicious of them both, things wont turn out as planned...Will Paul make it out safe, or will Barry learn his secret? Ikari and minor Twinleaf.
1. Chap 1: Discovery At Lake Verity

The blood-stained knife clattered to the ground. Blood dripped off the boy's hands and onto his jeans. The body lie motionless on the ground. Dirt smeared the boy's deep purple hair, his expression blank at the realization of the crime he'd just committed.

It was done.

There was no way to change anything.

His brother was dead.

Chapter 1: Discovery At Lake Verity

Dawn smiled brightly as she dashed out the door with Piplup at her side. It was the same as any day for her, a little contest practice, learning new combinations, all in a day's work for a coordinator. Ever since she'd come back to Twinleaf Town, she'd been happy as ever preparing for more contests while taking a break from her adventures with Ash and Brock. Journeying through Sinnoh was nice, but Dawn liked taking time off now and then. But if there was one thing she'd never stop doing, it would be training for contests and competing in them.

She knocked on the door of her friend Barry's house. Before she even had time to stand back, the door swung open, hitting her full on in the face. Barry tumbled out after, landing next to Dawn.

"DAWN! I'm gonna charge you a fine for that!"

"Sorry, sorry, I tried to knock on your door first but you came out too fast. You hit me in the face with the door, too."

Dawn put her hand over her left eye where she'd gotten hit with the doorknob. Barry got frantic.

"Oh my God, I didn't mean to! Should I call a doctor? No, that would take too long for them to get here! Are you bleeding? Oh, how do you put a bandage on someone's eye? Oh my God, uh…ICE! Ice always works! Oh crap, I forgot we're out of ice…..damn it, I gotta start remembering to do chores! Uh….maybe I should-"

"Barry, Barry, just relax! I'm fine! I just got hit a little bit. Geez, you don't have to get overexcited."

"Sorry, just last time you fell out of a tree, and the time before that you fell in Lake Verity….."

"Hey, that's a good idea!"

"To throw you in Lake Verity?"

"No, for both of us to go practice there! You could practice for gym battles, and I'll practice for my contests!"

"Alright, I'll go grab my stuff. You go on ahead, I'll catch up."

"Okay, just don't take too long, Barry, or I'll have to fine you."

Somewhere upstairs in his house, Barry shouted down "DON'T STEAL MY LINES!!!"

Piplup ran ahead of Dawn. Dawn tried to chase it, knowing it was running towards Lake Verity.

"Piplup, slow down, you know I can't go that fast!"

Piplup just laughed at her and kept running. Dawn smirked. Piplup reminded her of Barry in so many ways.

Finally, the two of them arrived at Lake Verity. Almost the second they arrived, Piplup dived into the deep blue lake. Dawn wished she'd brought her swimsuit so she could swim in the lake too. Barry would probably take a while to get ready, so she knew she had time…..

Then she heard rustling in a bush a few feet away from her. She heard a voice saying to itself over and over "I had to…I had to…I had to….."

Dawn walked towards the bush cautiously. She pulled back the leaves and saw a familiar boy with purple hair.

"What are you doing here? Why'd you come to Twinleaf, Paul?"

The boy stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants and the tears out of his eyes. He kicked his backpack into the bush. He looked down at his feet as if he'd done something horrible. Dawn was deeply concerned.

"Paul, is everything alright?"

He said it soft enough for hardly anyone to hear.

"I killed him."

He suddenly grabbed Dawn's shoulders and shook her violently, blood dripping off his hair onto his sneakers. He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I KILLED MY BROTHER!!! I KILLED RENJI!!!"


	2. Chap 2: Barry's Suspicions

Chapter 2: Barry's Suspicions

Dawn stood motionless, almost in shock at Paul's words. "Y-you…..killed Reiji?"

"Yes, I did, and I'm fucking happy about it, damn it!"

Dawn's light blue eyes gazed into his cold, unwelcoming ones. She knew something wasn't right. Paul would never go so far as to do something like this, let alone without a reason. He was normally the calm, cool and collected one. Dawn pried his bloody hands off of her shoulders, now smeared with almost-dried blood. She bent down and reached for Paul's backpack. Paul's eyes went wide. He kicked Dawn out of the way.

"Don't you fucking touch that! I'll kill you too, you bitch!"

Dawn looked up at Paul with worry and concern in her eyes. They weren't exactly best friends, but Dawn still worried about him from time to time. He was still a human being, after all.

"Paul, what exactly is going on here? I don't understand, just calm down and tell me what's happening."

Paul looked away from Dawn out towards the lake and shot a nasty glance at Piplup. Dawn stood up and brushed the dirt off the front of her skirt. Then Dawn heard a familiar voice that she'd forgotten all about.

And for once she wasn't happy to hear it.

"DAWN!!! Sorry I kept you waiting! I couldn't find my left shoe! But I'm here! And guess what? I won't even fine you today!"

Dawn became frantic. She shoved Paul into a group of bushes near a tree on the edge of the lake and turned around to find herself face-to-face with Barry.

"What are you doing, Dawn? You're acting weird. Weirder than usual. Weirder than me, even. I thought you said you were gonna start training without me."

"Oh, uh, well, I felt bad about not waiting for you, so I decided to wait anyway."

Dawn smiled nervously. Barry gave her a suspicious glance. "Dawn, why is there blood on your shoulders? Did you get hurt or something?"

Dawn's heart rate sped up. If Barry found out, that was it. "No, it's not blood, earlier at lunch I spilled some tomato sauce on myself, that's all."

"Only your shoulders?"

"Well, that's enough talk, don't you think? We should start training now."

"Okay, sure….."

Paul tried not to breathe and keep himself hidden in the bushes where no one could see him. He moved himself into a position where he was perfectly concealed but could still keep a close eye on Dawn and Barry. Even at first glance, there was something he hated about that guy. He just couldn't figure out what. His attitude, his actions towards Dawn, nothing seemed to stand out. Paul's mind was rushing at 100 miles per hour. There was something he didn't like about this kid, something that made him seem like….he couldn't be trusted.

Several times throughout their little training session, Paul saw Dawn glance towards his hiding spot nervously. He took a moment to try and wipe the blood out of his hair, but only smeared it deeper into his hair rather than wiping it out. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for both Paul and Dawn, Barry finally decided to go home. But on his way out, he caught sight of a small violet backpack with a strap stuck on a branch of a bush. He walked towards it. Dawn panicked. If there was something in there that Paul wouldn't let anyone but him see, that meant if someone like _Barry _saw it……

Dawn knelt down next to Piplup and whispered frantically.

"Piplup, I need you to use Whirlpool on Barry, hurry?"

Piplup gave Dawn a look of curiosity, wondering what had made her want that from it. But Dawn's look was urgent.

"Just do it, QUICK!!!"

Without farther hesitation, Piplup attacked Barry with all it's might. The force of the Whirlpool threw him back into a tree. He regained his footing in the tree, only having minor bruises and scratches. He brushed off his shirt and glared at Dawn.

"Dawn, what is WRONG with you? I was just walking, geez! You nearly gave me a freaking heart attack!"

Dawn smiled nervously again. "It was just a little joke, that's all. Sorry if it went too far, Barry."

Barry jumped down from the tree and finally left without another word. When Dawn was sure he was gone, Paul came out from behind his hiding place. He'd seemed to have calmed down a little since she first saw him, but he still seemed worried.

"Paul, this isn't good. I have to tell someone. I should tell Ash….."

At the mention of Ash's name, Paul slapped Dawn across her face. Dawn placed her hands over the side of her face, which was now stinging. Tears rushed to her eyes.

"You fucking idiot! No one can ever know about this, you hear me? NO ONE!!! Especially not him! You just don't get how serious this is, do you? DO YOU???"

Dawn looked down at the ground in shame. Paul went over to his backpack and unzipped it, reaching in and seemingly searching for something. When he pulled it out, Dawn gasped in horror.

In Paul's hand was a bloody knife.

With fresh blood on it.

His brother's blood.

And Dawn was sure he wasn't lying.


	3. Chap 3: Paul's Dilemma, Dawn's Solution

Chapter 3: Paul's Dilemma, Dawn's Solution

Dawn gazed at the blood-stained knife with fear in her eyes. What exactly did Paul DO to Reiji?

"Paul….you really DID kill him….."

Paul sat down on the ground and gazed at the knife, guilt slowly overtaking him. He looked up at Dawn for a moment, then went back to looking at the knife. Dawn sat down beside him.

"What…..happened? You two were so close."

Paul took a deep breath and began to tell his story. Dawn held Piplup in her arms and listened carefully.

"We WERE really close, we always had been. Even though the two of us were exact opposites, we were still brothers, and that's what mattered. Our parents died when I was only about six. I never really talked much ever since then. In fact, I hardly talked at all ever since they died. I spent every day crying, and Reiji was always there to confort me and take good care of me. At the time he was about 13 years old and already had his own Pokemon. But about a month later, he took me with him on his Pokemon journey, afraid of leaving me by myself at my young age. We spent the next few years traveling through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. Reiji collected all the badges, and tried to pursue the Battle Frontier in Kanto. He was doing really good, and by the time he'd almost completed it, I was about nine, almost old enough for my first Pokemon. That's when everything crashed for him.

"We finally got to the Battle Pyramid, and Reiji challenged Brandon. But he lost. I was a little shaken up by his loss after a huge streak of wins, but what really made me angry was that he just quit right then and there, saying he wasn't really cut out for this kind of life and preferred the quieter life in Veilstone City. Ever since then, I've hated him for that, for just giving up when he was so close. He's weak and pathetic now."

Paul stuck the knife in the ground and kept going.

"Ever since I came back from my journey, he's been the biggest asshole you could ever imagine. He stopped caring about me, he pretends I don't exist. He beats me when I do something wrong. I actually had to go to the hospital once because he threw a chair at my head. He told them it was just a car accident and pretended to care about me again, saying he was sorry for everything he did to me. I actually felt comfortable around him and talking with him about everything that was bothering me. That was the stupidest mistake I've ever made, trusting him again. The next day, he made my life hell. He'd beat me every chance he'd get, whether it was with his fists, with his feet, and sometimes with books and anything else he could find."

Paul lifted one of his shirt sleeves to show a painful-looking dark blue bruise that took up almost his whole shoulder. Dawn gasped, never realizing how violent Reiji could be. She held Piplup tighter.

"Then one day I could take it anymore. I yelled at him about how he was making my life a living hell. He lost it and screamed every profanity I've ever heard at me and even some I didn't know yet. He threw silverware at me and gave me some really nasty cuts and bruises, leaving me in tears that night. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I snuck into the kitchen while he was sleeping and took a knife out of one of the drawers, this one as a matter of fact."

Paul wrapped his hand around the handle of the knife, currently stuck in the ground. Dawn felt sick thinking about what he did next.

"Would you like to guess what I did with it?"

Dawn tried to force back tears, feeling nauseous. She took a deep breath and let the words come out slowly.

"You killed him while he was sleeping."

Paul smirked. "You catch on quick."

"So what are you going to do? You killed your brother, where are you going to go?"

Paul's smirk faded. "Anywhere I can. The police have been notified, and they found his body two days later, long after I was gone. They already know I did it, and it's been all over the news. If I'm caught, I'll have the death penalty for how serious this was."

Dawn started to cry, not being able to hold back anymore. Piplup looked up at her sadly, and Paul felt strange watching her cry over him.

"What are we gonna do? I can't just stand by and let the cops get you, but I can't bring you to my house, I can't tell Barry, I have to keep you hidden, I don't know what to do!"

Paul pulled the knife out of the ground and put it away in his backpack. He looked at Dawn with a hint of sympathy to her.

"I came to you because you're one of the only ones I knew I could trust. I'm not trying to take advantage of you, but I knew you could help me if anything."

Dawn slowly stopped crying and spoke calmly.

"There's an island with a cave in the middle of the lake. You can hide there until I find a place to hide you for good. I'll sneak some food out of my house every day when no one's looking, and Piplup and I will keep everything a secret. I'll have my Buneary use Ice Beam to make a bridge over to the middle once a day, and then Piplup can use Whirlpool to destroy the bridge once we're done. I'll get you a spare sleeping bag and everything, I'll bring some pillows, some firewood, some extra blankets, a jacket or two, anything. I promise I'll take care of you, okay?"

Paul and Dawn locked eyes for a moment, and she could've sworn she saw a hint of gratitude in his eyes. She smiled.

"If you just let me go and get some stuff a little at a time, I'll bring you enough stuff for you to have a good night's sleep in there. For now, just stay hidden until I come back. I'll bring you some food after dinner, You're probably starving."

She returned Piplup to it's Pokeball and ran off towards her house. While she was gone, Paul looked through his backpack to see what he'd brought with him and if it was enough. He emptied the contents on the ground. There was two or three pieces of fruit wrapped in a blanket, along with a flashlight and some spare batteries. There was the knife and a knife case. There was a wallet with about sixty dollars in it, a comb for his hair(which, now that he thought about it, really wouldn't come in handy very well), a lighter, his Pokeballs, of course, and an extra pair of socks. There was also a first aid kid and a full canteen of water. In another pocket he found a picture of his whole family, when his parent were still alive, he was about three, and Reiji was about nine or ten. He also found his badges, which he'd forgotten to take out when he was packing his bag, and he found a Chimchar doll that he'd had since he was a baby, the only thing that his parents had left behind for him. He also found a pencil and a notepad, which he thought may come in handy later. He picked up the picture of his family and gazed deep into his own eyes. His smile looked happy and genuine instead of forced and in pain. Finally he heard a voice that snapped him out of his trance.

"PAUL! I'M BACK!!!"

Paul looked up. Dawn brought with her a large backpack and a sleeping bag. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a Pokeball. When she threw it high into the air, her Buneary came out of it in a burst of light. Landing on the ground softly, Dawn ordered it to use Ice Beam on the water to make a path to the island in the middle. It did as she told it. Paul put everything back in his backpack and put it on. He and Dawn carefully walked out to the middle of the lake, careful not to slip on the ice. When the reached the island, Dawn called Buneary back to it's Pokeball, thanking it for a job well done. She and Paul looked inside the cave. Dawn finally spoke up.

"Well, it doesn't seem like there's anything in there. It should be safe."

She walked in with a slight skip in her step. Paul followed her inside. He looked around, thinking that this might actually work. She sat down and began to unpack the backpack that she brought, listing the contents for Paul.

"Alright. I brought an extra sleeping bag I had lying around, lots of leftovers from dinner, some firewood, some extra blankets, a pillow, and a jacket. I made sure it was blue, so you didn't have to wear pink."

Paul laid the sleeping bag out on the ground and set the firewood in the middle. When he looked back outside, he realized that the sun was beginning to set and the cold night air was coming in. He turned to Dawn.

"Thanks for this, Dawn, but you have to go soon. The sun's setting now, and if you don't hurry, you won't be able to get home in the dark."

"Will you be okay by yourself? I'll leave everything here."

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Dawn. Don't worry about me."

Dawn proceeded towards the exit of the cave, but quickly turned around after she remembered something. She took off the red scarf around her neck and knelt down in front of Paul.

"I almost forgot! It gets really cold at night, so I wanted to give you this."

She wrapped the scarf around Paul's neck. For some weird reason, Paul felt warmer even BEFORE she put the scarf on. Dawn's face was turning red slowly, but Paul couldn't understand why. He assumed the weather was just giving her a cold.

She lept up and dashed out the entrance, calling back to him. "Be careful, Paul! I'll be back tomorrow morning, okay?"

She slipped on the ice and landed flat on her ass, making Paul smirk a little and almost laugh a bit. Dawn laughed at her own mistake.

"Sorry, I forgot it was made of ice!"

When Dawn was safely on the other side, Paul watched her have Piplup destroy the bridge with Whirlpool. Dawn waved to Paul, and Paul waved back half-heartedly. He wanted to thank Dawn somehow, but right now he knew there was no way other than to show her kindness for everything she had done for him. Paul took the lighter out of his backpack and lit the firewood Dawn had brought him. He sat back and pulled out the pieces of fruit he'd brought with him. He started eating a piece, gazing into the fire and thinking to himself.

_What am I supposed to do, just sit back and let her take care of me? This isn't her problem, I hardly even know her that well, yet I come to her on my hands and knees begging for her help? It was a mistake even to tell her. I know she can keep a secret…but just for how long can I trust that this will even STAY a secret at all? What if that kid with the blonde hair finds out….what was his name….Benny…..Kenny…..Larry……wait, it was Barry, wasn't it? He seems almost dangerous to be around, well at least in my case……._

As thousands of thoughts swirled around in his mind, one thought came up that erased all the rest.

_Dawn will figure something out for me._

Paul seemed to surprise himself with his own thought. He finished the piece of fruit he was eating and got out his notepad and pencil. He began writing some things down.

**People I Can Trust:**

One thing automatically flew off his pencil and onto the paper.

**Dawn**

He thought for a moment and wrote down something he quickly regretted.

**Ash**

He erased his name almost immediately after the thought came to his head. He probably only wrote it down because of Dawn's suggestion. He felt frustrated looking at the list. There was almost no one he could trust that wasn't Dawn. Instead, he flipped the page and wrote another list.

**People I Can't Trust:**

The first thing he thought of flew onto the paper.

**Barry**

He felt his anger growing inside of him, most of it aimed at Barry. He threw his notepad across the cave in frustration and slammed his head onto his pillow, thinking the same things over and over, as if to convince himself of something.

_Dawn's the only one I can trust now._

_Barry's my enemy._

_I can trust Dawn._

_I can never trust Barry._

_I hate Barry._

_I love Da-_

He almost slapped himelf at his involuntary thought. He wondered why he was thinking it anyway. He finally fell into the most uneasy sleep of his life, still wondering about his feelings towards Dawn…..


	4. Chap 4: Midnight Conversations

Chapter 4: Midnight Secrets

It was about 1:00 A.M. Dawn lied awake in her bed, her blue hair matted and her pink pajamas glowing in the moonlight that streamed from her window. Piplup was fast asleep besides her. Thoughts kept flowing in and out of her mind, preventing her from sleeping.

_How long can I keep this up? He's wanted by the law, I can't go on like this forever. But if I turn him away, he'll be killed. I don't know what to do, and there's not even anyone I can tell! What do I do? It's not like someone's gonna tell me, are they? I can't ask anyone who doesn't know, much less tell them his secret! What if-_

Dawn's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud bang at her window. She thought she was just hearing things, but then she heard another. And another. Finally her curiosity got the better of her. She rolled out of bed and opened her window. When she looked down, she saw Barry looking up at her with a pile of rocks at his feet.

"Do you really have to attempt vandalism at 1:00 in the morning, Barry?"

Barry smiled for a moment, then his smile faded. "I need to talk to you. It's serious, Dawn."

"Okay, be right out."

Dawn walked towards her door, but before Barry could open his mouth, Dawn rushed back to the window.

"It's 1:00 A.M., it's too early to fine people."

"Damn it…"

Dawn laughed and closed her window. As she was opening her door, Piplup raised its head and looked at her tiredly, wondering where she was going.

"I'm just gonna go take a walk for a few minutes. I'll be back soon, okay? Go back to sleep."

Piplup looked at her for a moment, then let its head fall back onto the pillow and went back to sleeping.

Barry smiled when Dawn came out the front door. She looked tired and her blue hair was pretty frizzy. The two of them started walking down Route 202 together.

"So what was the thing you wanted to talk about, Barry? You sounded really serious about it."

Barry stopped in his track and turned to face Dawn. Dawn looked at him nervously. He had a suspicious look in his eyes.

"You're hiding something big from me."

Dawn's heart rate sped up. "W-what are you talking about? I'd never hide anything from you, Barry!"

"I can't seem to believe that."

"Barry, really! I'm not hiding anything from you!"

"You freaked out back at the lake."

"Oh, Piplup just aimed the wrong direction, that's all. I'm sorry about that. Was that was you were worried about?"

"No, it's more than just that."

Barry turned his back to Dawn and lowered his voice as if someone was trying to hear the conversation.

"At the lake, I saw a purple backpack in a bush."

"Oh, that was just-"

"There was drops of blood around the area."

"It's only-"

"You didn't have those stains on you when I visited you and told you I'd catch up. Only when I got there."

"Oh, well, I brought-"

"I heard you talking to someone before I called to you."

"It was just-"

Barry grabbed Dawn's shoulders and put his face just inches from hers. Dawn's heart felt ready to burst.

"Look, Dawn, I wasn't born yesterday! You're hiding something big from me, and when I find out, you can bet I'm going to handle things myself! You understand? If you won't tell me, I'll find out myself!"

Barry let go of her. She appeared to be in shock. Something inside him felt bad for his suspicions at his best friend.

"Sorry, Dawn. I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to get hurt, that's all."

Dawn looked down at her feet. A tear fell to the ground. Barry felt awful for what he'd just done to her. He tried to change the subject.

"There was this story on Sinnoh Now earlier. This kid with purple hair killed his older brother with a knife in the middle of the night. Now he's got the death penalty. In my opinion, he really should be punished for that. The guy he killed sounded like a nice guy."

Dawn clenched her teeth and balled her hands into fists.

"There's two sides to every story, Barry."

"But still, they haven't found him yet. You think he killed himself? I wonder how long he'll survive by himself. Still, you saw that big reward they're offering, right? They said he can come back dead or alive, but they'd prefer dead."

Dawn's tears splashed to the ground as Barry smiled, not paying attention. Her fury started to grow inside of her, pushing to escape.

"Just think of it Dawn! You and me, together! We can kill that guy and bring him in, and we're set for life! I bet if-"

Dawn swung her ready-made fist at Barry and landed a direct hit on the side of his face. Her eyes were burning with fury towards him.

"YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING, BARRY! JUST SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH ALREADY!!! JUST SHUT UP!!!"

Dawn took off down the road back to her house, tears streaming down her face. Barry coughed, and realized the inside of his mouth was bleeding a bit. He tried to ignore the pain and rubbed the side of his face, wondering what had gotten into her. He gave up thinking about it and decided to take a walk to the lake. He didn't know why, but he just wanted to take a walk to-

The lake.

Suddenly everything clicked in Barry's mind. The blood, Dawn's sudden reaction, the backpack…Dawn was helping someone she shouldn't even get near. And the longer this stayed a secret, the worse it was gonna get. Barry took a deep breath, knowing if anyone was going to protect Dawn, it'd be him. He set off towards the lake, brimming with confidence and with the full knowledge of just how much danger he was getting himself into.

Moonlight reflected off of the water and onto Paul's face inside of the cave. He opened his eyes and raised his head, looking around. For a moment, everything seemed safe, and he felt calm. Then he realized the past few events and his stomach twisted back into a knot again, his few seconds of relief coming to a close. The fire was burned down to cinders, and it was about 2:00 in the morning. He tried his hardest to fall back asleep, but couldn't no matter how hard he tried. He eventually walked to the edge of the cave and knelt down on the shore of the lake. He splashed his face with the cool lake water, gazing at his own reflection. Something in him was worried about his own safety, even in the middle of the night. But if anything, he was worried about Dawn. He didn't know why, but he'd been worried about her all night, and could hardly sleep. He looked deep into his own eyes and realized they were filled with worry. _Worry about God knows what_, he thought to himself. Then he heard a stick break. It could have been him imagination, but he wouldn't risk it. He ducked inside the cave, making a splash in the water. He heard a voice from outside. It sounded cautious and filled with confidence.

"I know someone's there, show yourself!"

Paul's rage started to build. He knew that voice like the back of his hand.

_Barry. What's he want now?_

"Answer me right now! Who are you and what do you want with Dawn?"

_Why does _he_ care about her?_

There was a pause and then the voice came back, lower this time.

"I know everything. I know about the backpack, the blood, Dawn helping you, everything. You barely have anything to hide. You might as well just tell me what's going on right now."

Paul peaked out the cave at an angle at which he could see Barry but Barry couldn't see him. He didn't look as if he planned to leave until he had some answers.

"I swear, if you do something to her, I'll kill you myself. I mean it, whoever you are. Don't think I can't make connections."

Finally, Barry left. When Paul was sure he was gone, he sat on the shore outside of the cave and slipped his feet into the water, thinking consistently.

_I really _am_ getting Dawn into a bad situation. This isn't her problem, I should just turn myself in before she gets hurt, or worse, before Barry hurts her on accident. But what does he care about her? Worse yet, what do _I _care about her anyway?_

The water of the lake started to ripple. Paul looked down to see his own reflection fading. The ripples seemed to be coming from the center of the lake. He watched with curiosity, keeping his guard up just in case. A translucent figure rose out of the lake. It didn't appear much larger than his forearm, and it levitated out of the center of the lake. He wondered for a moment if it was the being mentioned in the story of the Original One…the three being created were said to sleep at the bottom of the three lakes of Sinnoh. One in Lake Acurity, one in Lake Valor, and one in…

Lake Verity.

Paul looked up to see the creature's shadow just inches from him. He nearly fell backwards, but it used telepathy to speak with him.

_Are you afraid of me, Paul?_

"How do you know my name?"

The creature smiled. _What'd you expect? I'm a psychic-type._

The creature floated away from him a few feet and stopped, just staring at him.

"What are you?"

_You've never heard the legend about this lake? I'm Mesprit. I'm one of the three beings who sleep at the bottom of the Sinnoh lakes. Sometimes I come up here and play for a little while, but only my spirit can come up. The rest of me is still asleep down there._

Mesprit pointed to the bottom of the lake. Paul smiled a little, then remembered what was bothering him and gazed back into the water.

"Well, I'm sorry if you wanted someone to play with, because I'm not up for it."

Mesprit looked sad for a moment and rubbed Paul's head. Paul looked up and it smiled again.

_I know you're worried about everything, but try not to worry. Dawn's gonna help you. She's really worried about you, too._

Paul's face started to turn pink. "What are you talking about? I'm not worried about her."

Mesprit giggled. _I can read your mind, you know. Besides, I'm the being of emotions. I think I know when someone cares about someone else, Paul…_

"Well, just a little. We're just friends. JUST. Just barely friends at all. Until this started, I hardly ever talked to anyone anyway."

_Well, if you ever need anything, just let me know._

"Wait. Before you go, I need you to tell me something. Will I live through this?"

Mesprit smiled at him one last time before submerging into the lake. Paul lost hope but heard the voice one final time.

_It'll all be okay soon, Paul._

Reassured and feeling pretty tired, with a slight feeling he may have started hallucinating, Paul went back into the cave and lied down in his sleeping bag. He fell asleep easily, with Mesprit's words on his mind, repeating over and over again until he fell asleep.


	5. Chap 5: Losing It

_**Chapter 5: **__**Losing It**_

_**The next morning Paul awoke to sunlight streaming into the cave and draping itself across his eyes. He sat up and stretched. He walked outside and sat on the shore of the cave, watching the sunrise happily. That was the best night's sleep he'd had in a very long time. He picked up a rock, threw it, and watched it skip across the water. He finally had everything off his chest.**_

_**Or so he thought.**_

_**Somewhere in Twinleaf, the beginning of something tragic was forming. Dawn looked out her window early in the morning to find Barry headed towards the lake. He had something in his pocket. His head was hung low and he had his hands in his pockets. Dawn opened her window and called down to him.**_

"_**Barry! You alright?"**_

_**Barry turned around to see her, his whole expression suddenly seeming to transform.**_

"_**Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I had a weird dream last night, though, and that's why I don't look so well."**_

"_**What happened in it?"**_

"_**Well, there was you and me, and there was this boy I've never met. It was dark, so I couldn't see him. But he was holding a knife to your throat and telling me to get away from you."**_

_**Dawn's heart sped up for some reason. By now, Piplup had woken up and was sitting on Dawn's windowsill, gazing at Barry happily. Barry waved to it, both of them smiling brightly at each other. But Dawn was still completely serious.**_

"_**Barry, what happened next?"**_

_**Barry got a sneaky look in his eye that Dawn could still see from so far away.**_

"_**Then I woke up, went to take a piss, got a glass of water, and that was it, really. Then I went back to sleep."**_

"_**Where are you going, Barry?"**_

"_**Just to the lake for a little while."**_

"_**Wait, you can't!" The words just flew out of Dawn's mouth.**_

_**Barry smirked. "Why's that, Dawn?"**_

"_**Uh…I want to come with you! Can you wait for me?"**_

"_**No, I think you can catch up."**_

_**Barry started towards the lake. Dawn almost cried. If he went, he'd know. She saw no other choice. She jumped up on her windowsill and jumped down from the second story of her house. Barry heard someone scream and turned around to find Dawn on the ground, her ankle covered in blood. Barry's emotions returned to him.**_

"_**DAWN!!! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING???"**_

_**Dawn struggled to stand up, but collapsed again. Barry picked her up on his back and opened the door to her house, carrying her up to her room. He placed her on the bed and ran downstairs. Dawn screamed when he did.**_

"_**BARRY!!! DON'T GO!!!"**_

"_**I'm coming right back! Just give me a minute!"**_

_**Dawn leapt up from the bed and tried to stand, nearly collapsing again. Every time she tried to stand, a bolt of pain shot through her ankle and blood dripped onto the floor. She gave up and threw herself onto the bed, crying and screaming into her pillow words that only she could understand.**_

"_**I CAN'T! NOT ANYMORE! NO MORE OF THIS, NO MORE! SOMEONE KILL ME!!! SOMEONE END MY LIFE, I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE, MAKE IT STOP!!! MAKE IT STOP!!!"**_

_**The power of her will made her fight the pain long enough to get to her kitchen. She reached for her knife drawer and pulled out a knife that looked similar to the one Paul had used to kill Reiji. She didn't know where to start: this had to end somehow.**_

_**Piplup chased her down the stairs, finding her in the kitchen with a knife in her hand, a pool of blood around her ankle. Piplup screamed for her to stop, but she whipped around and snapped at it.**_

"_**SHUT THE FUCK UP! DAMN YOU!"**_

_**Tears pooled in it's eyes. This was nothing like Dawn. It seemed as if she'd lost all will to stay alive. It knew there was nothing it could do. It winced as she plunged the knife into her arm. She screamed in pain as blood splattered onto the floor and table. But she wouldn't stop. She kept doing this over and over until she couldn't feel her arm anymore. She made a gash across her cheek with the knife, the cut stinging with fiery pain as her tears seeped into it. Then someone pushed her gently enough for her to fall over. She tried to open her eyes enough to see the face, but felt too weak and tired. The person, appearing and seeming to be male, pried the knife out of her hands. She flailed in his arms, screaming over and over.**_

"_**DO IT, JUST GET IT OVER WITH!!! I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, JUST KILL ME!!! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! IT'S JUST TOO MUCH, PLEASE KILL ME!!!"**_

_**Dawn felt the person slap her hard across the face. He sounded angry but concerned at the same time.**_

"_**Dawn, what the fuck is going on with you?"**_

_**Dawn composed herself and stood up. "Barry, what…."**_

_**She quickly collapsed again from blood loss. Everything went black.**_

_**When Dawn woke up, she was lying on a hospital bed. Piplup gazed into her eyes nervously, and Dawn's mother, Joanna, was crying at the thought that her daughter would try to kill herself. Dawn looked down at her arm. It was wrapped tightly in a bandage. The gash on her cheek was covered as well, and her ankle was in a cast. Dawn sat up. Joanna hugged her tightly, but backed off when she realized she was hurting Dawn. She wiped the last few tears out of her eyes.**_

"_**Dawn, are you alright? You scared the living hell out of me."**_

_**Dawn's heart rate sped up again, and she felt as if it would explode any moment as several words came out of her mouth and made her realize something horrible.**_

"_**WHERE'S BARRY?"**_

_**Joanna looked confused. "Why do you want to know?"**_

_**Dawn grabbed Joanna's shoulders and practically looked as if she were ready to commit murder.**_

"_**WHERE IS HE?"**_

_**Joanna stammered nervously, not knowing how to respond to her daughter.**_

"_**Uh…well, he said something about the lake. He said he was going to take a walk for a little while, and maybe visit the cave in the middle, and-"**_

_**Dawn screamed at the top of her lungs out of nowhere and tried to run from the room. Joanna held her down as she kicked and screamed, trying to escape her grip.**_

"_**LET ME GO!!! I WON'T LET HIM HURT HIM!!! I WON'T LET BARRY HURT HIM!!! BARRY'S GONNA KILL HIM, I HAVE TO SAVE HIM!!! NO!!! I WON'T LET HIM DIE!!! I'VE GONE TOO FAR FOR HIM TO DIE!!! HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, BELIEVE ME!!! LET ME GO!!!!!!!!"**_

_**Several doctors rushed into the room. They had to tie Dawn down onto her bed. Piplup looked to be on the verge of tears, and Joanna was frantically trying to understand what her daughter was going on about. Finally, her screaming stopped abruptly as a nurse shot a large dose of a sedative into Dawn's arm. Tears streamed down Dawn's face as she fell asleep. She knew if Barry got to him…it was all over. There was nothing she could do. She tried to fight it, but was unsuccessful and fell asleep. The doctors, knowing for sure she was asleep, walked out of the room. Joanna and Piplup walked out as well so Dawn could sleep.**_

_**Barry arrived at the lake, for what he knew would be for sure the last time he'd need to come here. Dawn getting hurt was just chance, but still, he felt concerned about her near-suicide attempt. He knew he should've done something for her…suddenly strange thoughts overtook his mind.**_

_**If I do this right, I **_**WILL **_**be doing something for her. I'll be saving her life. **_

**Barry took a Pokeball out of his pocket and released his Pokemon, Empoleon. He ordered it to use Ice Beam to build a bridge to the middle. After the bridge was made, Barry returned Empoleon to its Pokeball. He walked slowly across the bridge, reaching for something in his pocket. As he pulled it out, it gleamed in the sunlight. Paul peeked out the front of the cave. He knew there was no running, he'd have to face Barry. His eyes locked onto the pistol Barry was carrying. He gripped his knife with both hands, anticipating Barry's arrival to the cave… **


	6. Chap 6 Final: A Tragic Free For All

**Chapter 6: A Tragic Free-For-All(Final)**

**Paul gripped the knife tightly in his hands, waiting for Barry to enter the cave. This would be a fight to the death, anything could happen. Paul's heart was racing as Barry's pistol clicked, knowing it was ready to kill with just one shot. Paul reached up to wipe the sweat off the back of his neck, but he realized something that gave him strength.**

**He was still wearing Dawn's scarf. Dawn had asked her to give it back to him soon. He had to win this fight, for himself, for Dawn. He still had to give her the scarf back.**

**As Barry was just several feet from the front of the cave, a strange section of water was swirling to the left of him. He let his guard down and looked for a second as a hazy, translucent figure rose out of the lake, an angry look on it's face.**

_**Why are you here, Barry?**_

"**Nothing, just have some business to take care of, Mesprit."**

_**That weapon, you cannot use it here. This is a sacred ground, I will not let you fire it here. Give it to me, only then may you proceed.**_

"**Sorry, Mesprit, gonna pass on that offer."**

_**Then you cannot proceed into the ca-**_

**Paul winced as a deafening shot rang through the air. The translucent figure began to fade completely. Paul couldn't help but have tears in his eyes. He tried to wipe them away with the scarf. Before it faded, Paul heard it whisper softly.**

_**I'm sorry there was nothing more I could do, Paul. Please, I'm sorry.**_

**Paul raised his guard again as Barry finally stepped into the cave. Paul knew this was the only chance he had. He lunged forward and used the knife to slash open the arm that was holding Barry's gun. As he held his arm and screamed in pain, Paul slashed at him again and again, then took the opportunity to make his escape. He dashed out of the cave while Barry was shouting in pain. As Paul dashed out the entrance, paying no attention to the ice bridge, Barry grabbed the gun in his other hand and loaded it. He checked the ammo; there were only six bullets left. He'd have to be careful with aiming, but he'd have to shoot him quick. Paul was almost to the other side.**

**Barry fired. The sound of gunfire rang in Paul's ears, and he hit the ice just before it hit him, narrowly escaping being shot. While he was on the ground, Barry fired another shot, and Paul had no choice but to roll off the bridge into the lake. Barry swore to himself. There were only four bullets left, and blood was streaming down his arm, leaving a puddle on the ground. He dashed out of the cave as well and ran as fast as he could to the other side, where Paul was getting out of the water as quickly as possible.**

**There was another loud bang, and Paul lost all feeling in his left leg. He fell to the ground, blood spewing out of it like a sprinkler. Barry smirked. He'd won. **

**As Paul was on the ground writhing in pain, Barry stood over Paul, pointing the gun at his head. Paul looked up at Barry furiously. **

"**Why? What did I EVER do to you?"**

"**Nothing. But you killed that boy. You murdered your own brother. You deserve this punishment. They want you back dead. I get a feeling I did something for the world, you get to see your brother again, and Dawn is safe from assholes like you."**

"**You're the asshole! You don't even know what happened! How about you just shut the fuck up and listen to the story, then you'll know that I did nothing wrong!"**

"**It's way too late for that, kid. And since your little shield isn't here to protect you from me, there's no escaping."**

"**Shield? Wait. What happened to Dawn?"**

"**She tried to kill herself because of you."**

**Paul felt awful, not just because of his leg. He touched the scarf gingerly. This was his fault. Dawn was going insane because of him, nearly killing herself.**

"**If you have to kill me, at least tell her I'm sorry."**

"**Sorry? Sorry won't cut it."**

**The gun clicked, and Barry held the end to Paul's head, ready to fire. His finger positioned itself on the trigger. One swift movement of his finger and this would all end. Dawn would thank him for this in the end. But then he heard frantic screaming and was shoved to the ground. When he looked up, he saw Dawn protecting Paul. She was knelt down besides him, stroking his hair and crying hysterically. Paul gazed up at her blankly. Dawn turned to look at Barry.**

"**Why? What did he do? He's innocent! He did nothing! He was fucking protecting himself! I risked my life to protect him and all you care about is the fucking reward! Barry, you asshole! I hate you!" **

**Barry stood up and glared at Dawn. She gave him a look of pure hatred. "Hate me all you want. There's nothing you can do. I'll kill him, and you'll be thanking me later."**

"**NO! If you kill him, you have to kill me too! I don't want to say goodbye to him! He's my friend and I love-"**

**Paul cut into Dawn's sentence. "Dawn, if I'm going to die, I just want to tell you I'm sorry I got you into this. I wanted to give you your scarf back, though."**

**Tears poured down Dawn's face and onto Paul's. He closed his eyes. Dawn took the scarf off of Paul and wrapped it around her neck. Then she changed her mind. She wrapped the scarf around both of them. She put her head against Paul's head in a loving gesture. **

"**If I have to…I will, Dawn."**

**Barry put the gun to Dawn's head. Dawn didn't look afraid, and neither did Paul. Barry shut his eyes tightly as he pulled the trigger.**

**There was a loud bang, then utter silence. When Barry opened his eyes, Dawn and Paul's heads were spewing blood, which was pooling around their bodies. Dawn fell over onto the ground. Barry looked at his gun, realizing he'd killed both of them with one shot. He had mixed emotions. He'd killed Paul, he'd done what he intended. But he'd killed his best friend in the world. He wasn't even sure how he really felt about her and yet he killed her. Barry looked at the inside of his gun. There was still one bullet left. And he would put it to good use.**

**He pointed the gun to his head, moved his finger slightly, then everything went black. The last thing he heard was a loud bang.**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Several days later, a boy in a land far away from Sinnoh was watching a report on the news. Three bodies had been found as a result of the murder case. All three were found shot in the head. He lowered his head, pulling his cap over his eyes. A tiny, yellow electric Pokemon next to him patted his arm gently in sympathy, a small tear running down its face. The boy hugged it tightly, tears beginning to stream down his face.**

**He knew all three bodies. All of his best friends had killed each other.**

**He whispered softly to himself. "I'm sorry, Dawn, Paul, Barry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."**

**The reporter said that the purple haired boy and the blue haired girl were found with a scarf wrapped around the two of them.**

………………………………**......................**


End file.
